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House Frigus
House Frigus is an Imperial-aligned Knight House from the planet of Hiems Mundi, known to the inhabitants as Winter's End. History Founding Hiems Mundi was settled during the Dark Age of Technology. From these early settlers came the original knight houses - Calor, Tholyn, Esse, Kall, Funas, Rimor, and Sidus. The seven houses of Hiems Mundi lead a ruling council, which governed the seven major regions of the planet. During the Age of Strife, the seven houses would unite under one banner, becoming House Frigus. The Age of Strife The first warning of the beginning of the Age of Strife, was when one year, the winter continued long after it should have ended. Soon the glaciers at the planets poles grew to cover much of the surface of the world, destroying the keeps of the various houses. Looking for a way to survive the rapidly lowering temperatures, the surviving knights allied together under Seumas Calor, and used the thermal cannons of their Knight Errants to melt a fortress out of the glacial cliffs at the north pole. Inside the tunnels the house had created, the nobles found a tree encased in the ice, but somehow still alive. This tree became a symbol of hope for the nobles, who took it as the emblem of their house. Soon, the Glacial Keep had become a fortress equal to those of other knight houses. As the winter wore on, the knights began to encounter more and more problems. While the cold had stabilized at levels where life could just survive, it was too much for the knight suits, which began to ice up and freeze. Rediscovery In M31, the Emperor began his Great Crusade, re-discovering many of humanities lost colonies, including the Knight Worlds. When House Frigus was rediscovered, the Emperor found that the nobles had been expecting him. Like other Knight Worlds, any psykers born on Hiems Mundi (now known as Winter's End) had been purged, but as the Great Crusade had begun, summer returned to the planet, and while the glaciers hadn't receded back to their original size, they had shrunk. More importantly, the tree at the centre of the Glacial Keep had bloomed, bearing leaves and fruit for the first time since the founding of House Frigus. It was long before House Frigus swore an oath to fight alongside the Emperor and his armies. When the Mechanicum caught up with the crusade at Winter's End, they were quick to try to curry favour with House Frigus, even establishing a nearby Forge World, Syrinx. House Frigus had already made their oath however, and would not be persuaded. The Mechanicum trained the Sacristans as they had for every other Knight World, but also upgraded the chassis of the Knights of House Frigus with a bronze coloured alloy, to protect them from the cold. This prompted the current ruler of House Frigus to swear an oath to assist the Mechanicum, when the house was not needed to assist the wider Imperium. 41st Millenium The Fall of Cinis (981.M41) Renegade T'au forces, under the command of Commander Sunsteel, invade the world of Cinis. House Frigus responds to the planets calls for aid, deploying a full seven Lances, with Armiger support, including the Exalted Court, lead by High King Seumas Tholyn, and the Kall Lance, lead by Baron Rowan Kall. The knight's strategy was to strike hard and fast at the T'au landing zone, before more of Sunsteel's forces can arrive. The High King lead from the front, the Exalted Court punching through the T'au gunlines. Meanwhile, the Kall Lance acted as guard for the left flank of the main attack. The knight's were winning, until Reimond Kall, piloting the Armiger Warglaive, Eis, broke formation, leaving the flanks of the Kall Lance exposed. This allowed Commander Sunsteel, to strike from the sides, with his bodyguard team, and kill Rowan Kall. With the crippling of the Kall Lance, the left flank was left open, and the Knights had to retreat, or be cut apart by T'au artillery. After Rowan Kall's funeral, Ysabel Kall, became Baroness of the Kall family, and Reimond became the pilot of Icewraith, as was his right. House Culture Traditions Like all Knight Houses, House Frigus has many traditions and rituals, many of which are tedious. However, the hostile environment of Winter's End has lead to these traditions being more streamlined than those of other houses. Laws of Succession Among the most important traditions for House Frigus are the laws of succession, which determine who can become a knight, and who can take what title. The chance to become a knight is given to all noble children at the age of 15, assuming that there is an Armiger available for them to pilot, so long as said Armiger is owned by their family. When a Questoris pilot dies, their Knight is given to the most experienced Armiger pilot in their family. When a Baron or Baroness dies, the Knights of their family (except for Armigers) duel with their Dryad-fangs before the Summer-bloom. When the High King dies, their successor will be named in a document written upon their ascension to the rank. If the named successor is dead, the Barons choose one of their number to become High King The Summer-bloom Central to the culture of House Frigus is the Summer-bloom. Located in the throne room of the Glacial Keep, this tree has only borne leaves once since its discovery in the Age of Strife - when the Emperor arrived on Winter's End. Despite this, the Summer-bloom is still a living tree. When a noble of House Frigus makes an oath, he or she will swear it before the Summer-bloom. Dryadfangs When a noble of House Frigus gains the right to pilot a true knight suit, they must forge themselves a Dryadfang. These weapons are named after a mythological creature from ancient Terra and are the mark of a true noble on Winter's End. While each varies in design based on the individual noble's preference, they all have a few things in common: * All Dryadfangs are some form of blade. * All are made from Ironbark, a metal ore found on Winter's End that has a bark-like texture. * All are tempered in the water surrounding the Summer-bloom's roots. Having forged their Dryadfang, a noble is truly consider a knight of House Frigus. Dryadfangs are mainly used for honour-duels between knights. The Circle of Summer's Return The Circle of Summer's Return, often referred to simply as "The Circle", is a group within House Frigus that has existed since the end of the Horus Heresy. Made up of those nobles that are most trusted by the High King, the members of The Circle rarely number more than ten (plus the High King). The Circle can easily be compared to the Mournival used by the pre-Heresy Luna Wolves, acting as an informal group of knights that the High King can confide in, and ask for advice. Circle members are marked by golden scroll-work on their Knights. Members of The Circle during the 41st Millennium * High King Seumas Tholyn * Baroness Ysabel Kall Deceased members of The Circle * Baron Rowan Kall * High King Seumas Calor (founder) Combat Doctrine Like all Knights from all Imperial-aligned houses, the nobles of House Frigus strive to conduct war in the most honourable way possible. However, the combat doctrine of House Frigus differs in several notable ways. As a result of the icy terrain of Winter's End, the nobles of House Frigus have become adept at piloting their Knights across difficult terrain, with the same speed and agility as they would on open terrain. This, in turn, has increased the agility of House Frigus' Knights when travelling on open terrain, allowing them to move faster on the battlefield, with little risk of tripping and falling. Additionally, due to the bronze alloy coating the skeletons of the Knights, lances from House Frigus are more capable of surviving extreme conditions, especially unusual temperatures. Organisation Like all Knight Houses, House Frigus takes to the field in formations known as Lances. Most lances are made up of between three and five Knights, often with Armiger support. However, this isn't standard, the larger Bloodlines have been known to deploy lances consisting of a single Knight Preceptor, supported by multiple teams of Armigers. In addition, while lances are by no means permanent formations, it is common for a single lance to be drawn from Knights belonging to a single family. However, in larger engagements, or if a mission has specific requirements, lances drawn from multiple families are occasionally formed. Bloodlines House Frigus is made up of several noble bloodlines, each descended from one of the original Knight Houses of Hiems Mundi. Each uses the primary colour of house they descended from for personal heraldry and heraldic markings. Tholyn The Tholyns are the current ruling family of House Frigus. Rulership of the House has been passed down from parent to child for the last seven generations. As the ruling family, they have access to the most Knight suits of any family, including some of the rarest patterns. Their heraldic colour is purple. High King Seumas Tholyn - Winter's Spear Seumas Tholyn has been High King of House Frigus for the last 40 years, after his father named him as his successor. King Seumas is considered the greatest King the House has had, since Seumas Calor, the Knight who found the Summer-bloom, after whom he was named. High King Tholyn pilots Winter's Spear, the Cerastus Lancer originally piloted by Seumas Calor. Winter's Spear has been piloted by the monarch of House Frigus since the discovery of the Summer-bloom, and as such has one of the longest histories of any Knight in House Frigus. Winter's Spear has a reputation for restlessness, and can often be seen "fidgeting" when preparing for combat. Esse The Esse family are the second largest of the families of House Frigus, owning almost as many Knight suits as the Tholyns. Despite their prominence within the House, the nobles of the Esse family are viewed with suspicion by the other families, due to their ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus, especially the Forge World of Syrinx. This close bond has given the family access to Knights that the other families do not have, such as the Cerastus Atrapos. However, it is unlikely that any member of the family will be named High King, due to the other families valuing their autonomy from the Martian Priesthood. Their heraldic colour is red. Sidus The Sidus family are renowned as the greatest hunters of House Frigus, due to their lands being closest to the wild regions of Winter's End. They are also known for being relatively fearless, and comparatively reckless. Despite this, they are always welcome in the lands ruled by the Tholyns and the Kalls, being beast hunters without compare. Their heraldic colour is yellow. Kall The Kall family are the smallest bloodline of House Frigus, having access to only three Questoris-pattern Knights, and four Armigers. They are known to be the most selfless of the bloodlines, which has lead to them taking heavy casualties in the past, as well as earning less glory and prestige than the other bloodlines. Their heraldic colour is white. Baroness Ysabel Kall - Everfrost Ysabel Kall has lead the Kall family since the death of her father, Baron Rowan Kall, at the hands of Commander Sunsteel of the T'au Empire. Despite her relatively young age, Ysabel Kall has shown herself to be a wise leader, and a capable warrior, defeating her older brother in a duel to determine who would replace their father. Baroness Kall exemplifies the selfless nature of her family, a trait which is reflected in her Knight Warden - Everfrost - which is willing to throw itself in front of allies in order to shield them from harm. Unfortunately, her selfless nature has caused many arguments between Ysabel Kall and her son, Reimond Kall, who believes that the Kall family should try to claim some of the more glorious duties. When she forged her Dryadfang, Lady Ysabel forged it as a rapier. Sir Reimond Kall - Icewraith Reimond Kall is the son of Ysabel Kall, and the current heir to the Kall family. Unlike his mother, Reimond is selfish and aggressive, believing that glory matters more than honour. This difference in opinion has led to many arguments between the young scion and the baroness. Reimond Kall's knight Gallant, Icewraith, mimics its pilots and is one of the most aggressive knights in House Frigus. It is a common sight to see Icewraith breaking formation and charging in to combat alone, in order to give its pilot the glory, which he believes is his right. Sir Reimond's Dryadfang takes the form of a greatsword. Sir Owayne Kall - Wintersmith Owayne Kall is the older brother of Ysabel Kall, and the mentor of Reimond, as well as the younger pilots within the Kall family, who are currently piloting the family's Armigers. While Owayne is the most experienced noble of the Kall family, he is easily outmatched in both strategy and skill by his younger sister, a fact that lead to her taking the title of Baroness, after the death of their father. This is not to say that Owayne is unskilled, or untactical - his sister relies on his advice, and experience, in combat. Owayne's knight Errant, Wintersmith, is different to many other knights of the same class. While still aggressive, it is cold and while not just charge in recklessly. Some believe that Owayne harbors some bitterness toward his sister, and that it is expressed through his knight. Sir Owayne's Dryadfang is a simple longsword. Squires Aubrey and Wanda Kall - Nix and Eis The twin daughters of Baroness Ysabel Kall, and the younger sisters of Reimond Kall, Aubrey and Wanda have only recently reached the age when they are allowed to pilot Armiger-class Knights. Despite being the youngest nobles in the entire house, the two have shown exceptional skill at piloting their Knights. The two have been described as being like snow and ice, both are cold and tactical on the battlefield, but Aubrey is warmer and softer, while Wanda is hard and harsh. This is reflected in their twinned Armiger Warglaives - Nix for Aubrey, and Eis for Wanda. Nix has shown itself to be more comfortable fighting alongside other Knights, while Eis' machine spirit would prefer to hunt alone. Squire Elric Kall - Ave The oldest Kall Squire, Elric is the son of Sir Owayne Kall. Elric is only a year younger than his cousin, Reimond, and would probably have been promoted early, if not for tradition. Squire Elric has already shown a good head for tactics, much like his father and aunt, although he has none of Sir Owayne's bitterness, and is less selfless than Baroness Ysabel. Elric pilots Ave, an Armiger Helverin, and has developed a powerful bond with the machine, a bond that far surpasses that of the other Kall knights and squires. Squire Gerard Kall - Hail The younger brother of Elric Kall, Squire Gerard has already proved himself the best marksman in the Kall family. In the few battles that he has piloted his Armiger Helverin, Hail, in, Gerard has claimed the live of many enemies at extreme range, including at least three enemy aircraft. Gerard has yet to show any skills other than his marksmanship, and is often passed over in favour of his older brother. If this bothers the young knight, it hasn't shown, but no one knows how the ritual of Becoming will affect the reserved squire. Deceased Bloodlines Whether through the ravages of time, or (more commonly) due to the attrition of war, some of the bloodlines of House Frigus have come to an end and no longer have any living members within the House. * Calor - The Calor bloodline took the most casualties in the decades following the Horus Heresy, until, by the 41st Millennium, there were no living members of the family. The original colours of House Calor were black and bronze. * Funas - During the Horus Heresy, the Funas bloodline, along with the Rimor bloodline, sided against their fellows and joined Horus, in an attempt to regain their status as a full house. As part of this, they dropped the blue and brown heraldry of House Frigus, and returned to their original orange and gold heraldry. While the traitor knights where defeated, chaos knights bearing the heraldry of House Funas have been seen alongside the traitor legions. * Rimor - During the Horus Heresy, the Rimor bloodline, along with the Funas bloodline, sided against their fellows and joined Horus, in an attempt to regain their status as a full house. As part of this, they dropped the blue and brown heraldry of House Frigus, and returned to their original green and silver heraldry. While the traitor knights where defeated, chaos knights bearing the heraldry of House Rimor have been seen alongside the traitor legions. Allies Feel free to add your own Adeptus Mechanicus While not as closely aligned to the Mechanicus as a Questor Machanicus house, like House Taranis, it is rare for House Frigus to ignore a request for aid from the Adeptus Mechanicus, especially from the nearby Forge World of Syrinx, after the tech priests of that world helped save House Frigus from extinction. Azure Tridents House Frigus and the space marines of the Azure Tridents chapter have multiple battles together in the years since the chapter's founding. As a result, the two organisations have forged a close bond, and are more than willing to go to each other's aid. House Frigus Men-At-Arms Also known as the Houseguard, the Men-At-Arms normally defend the keeps and bastions of House Frigus. However, on occasion, the Knights will take a company along with them, when they go on campaign. The Houseguard receive a similar quality of training and wargear as Tempestus Scions. Winter's End Militia The militia are the PDF for Winter's End, made up of soldiers recruited from the peasantry of the planet. They are equipped similarly to Astra Militarum regiments. Enemies Feel free to add your own T'au Empire House Frigus has fought many wars against the T'au, and after the death of the respected Baron Rowan Kall at the hands of Commander Sunsteel, they have a special enmity for the upstart Xenos race. Quotes By About Feel free to add your own Miniatures Gallery Everfrost House Frigus.jpeg|Everfrost - Piloted by Baroness Ysabel Kall Category:Knight Houses Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Knights